Israel-Palestine Conflict: Government Response

Richard Foord Excerpts

Thursday 30th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Emily Thornberry]

I thank my hon. Friend for all her work on this report; her contribution has been so important. She is right: what we are trying to do when finding peace is to bring hope and a future, not just for Palestinian children but for Israeli children too, so that they can live in peace together and have a decent future.

[Richard Foord (Honiton and Sidmouth) (LD)]

I am grateful to the Chair of the Committee for her statement. In this place, we use the phrase “two-state solution” very readily and often, so much so that it becomes a cliché. Our visit as a Committee to the Knesset revealed just how limited support for a two-state solution is there.

I was pleased that the Government announced their intention to recognise a Palestinian state on 29 July, just four days after the Committee published its report, but I draw the House’s attention to the September two-state solution conference convened by France and Saudi Arabia. In responding to the Committee’s report, the Government said that they played a full part in that conference and did so by co-chairing the working group on humanitarian action and reconstruction. Does the right hon. Member share my view that the UK’s contribution needs to go beyond humanitarian action and that the UK must continue its engagement on how we can make a two-state solution a reality?

[Emily Thornberry]

I thank the hon. Member for his contribution to the report and all his work. It has been a great deal of work, and he certainly played his part it in, so I thank him.

Yes, Britain can do so much. We have experience in the region, and we have really good friends. We also have the experience of Northern Ireland. People said there was no chance of getting peace and a long-term solution in Northern Ireland, until suddenly there it was. We need to bring a hopeful and positive attitude to this. I believe there is an important contribution that we can make.